Route 66 Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3

There are two things I LOVE: Autumn and roadside America. Toss these two together and add in a great bike ride, and it's pretty much my idea of a perfect weekend. This Saturday, Oct. 3 is the Route 66 Festival on the Chain of Rocks bridge. The festival has events happening on both sides of the bridge, with music going on all day in Missouri, and a beer garden in Illinois. In between, on the Chain of Rocks bridge, there will be a classic car showcase.

I don't know what it is about the roadside, but I feel very much like I grew up in a car, stopping at roadside fish shacks and custard stands. Many of my earliest memories were gathered while looking through a car window, watching the highway lines zip by. And it's still in me. I love the wanderlust, the joy and sense of fun and abandon with which we take to the road. And i've always love Route 66. It's a unifying facet of America, quite literally. The imagery harkens back to a quieter time-- when it was all about using the road to connect us to each other, instead of escaping.

I think that's why this festival sounds so fun. Music, food, classic cars and beer. The mother road, the river, families, and stories. And it all happens where a great bike path happens to intersect the whole thing. There is limited parking if you want to be one of those people and drive. But why not hop on your bike downtown at the Arch and ride up the Riverfront Trail to the Chain of Rocks. Or start on the North side and ride a little ways down to the bridge. You'll get scenery and exercise, and it'll give you license to drink all that beer.

Route 66 Festival- Saturday Oct. 3, 11 AM- 6 PM
at the Chain of Rocks Bridge (FREE)

Chain of Rocks Bridge Historical Info.

Riverfront Trail info (with links to maps, parking, etc.)